Fairborn commencement
Badin graduation
Division I regional track finals
Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > June > 27 > Entry
Battle of the budget: Strickland, Harris duel on slots at the tracks
Gov. Ted Strickland and Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, issued dueling statements in Ohio’s battle of the budget on Saturday, June 27.
Here they are:
Strickland:
“It has now been more than one week since I outlined a balanced budget framework to address the $3.2 billion state budget gap without raising taxes and without undermining our commitment to K-12 education. Â “I am pleased by the progress the legislative conference committee has made this week. Â “Regrettably, Senate President Bill Harris informed me this afternoon that he does not support my balanced budget proposal.Â
“I believe that he and the Senate Majority have an obligation to say what taxes they would increase or what services they would further reduce in order to balance the budget.
“I look forward to hearing from the Senate what other source of revenue, or what additional cuts, they will suggest in the three remaining days of the legislative conference committee.Â
“I continue to be available around the clock and will remain accessible to the legislative leadership.”
Harris:
“We have been working day and night with the House and the Governor to balance our state budget and we have been making significant progress.
“Let’s be clear: The issue that divides us is whether or not the legislature should authorize expanded gambling without a vote of the people.
“I have acknowledged many times that the Governor has the authority to expand the lottery.
“He has done it before and should he decide to exercise his authority again in allowing VLTs at racetracks around the state, the Senate will account for the revenues to balance the budget.
“However, I cannot get past the fact that the voters of Ohio - our constituents — have spoken on expanded gambling time and again.
“Asking the General Assembly to circumvent their will in such a short time frame when there has been no formal public debate and there are so many questions left unanswered is unreasonable.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment |
Comments
By jon
June 28, 2009 12:07 PM | Link to this
What people(politicians) do not understand, is that Ohioians are for gambling. The reason gambling has been voted down 6 times is because of the circumstances in which gambling will be brought into the state. There has not been a proposal introduced that will make everyone happy.By Bob
June 28, 2009 9:00 AM | Link to this
Well, Sen Harris, what are your specific tax increase plans? Why keep them a secret?By ed
June 28, 2009 7:28 AM | Link to this
only a few states remain without gaming being used to balance budgets and support the employment infrastructure. Ohio must have gaming to compete with neighboring states and level the playing field.By Rich
June 28, 2009 6:33 AM | Link to this
While Sen. Harris is certainly playing political games now, he IS 100% correct in his comments reported at the end of this item: “However, I cannot get past the fact that the voters of Ohio - our constituents — have spoken on expanded gambling time and again. “Asking the General Assembly to circumvent their will in such a short time frame when there has been no formal public debate and there are so many questions left unanswered is unreasonable.” Exactly right — these facts cannot be debated. And they ARE facts, folks.By j newman
June 28, 2009 6:16 AM | Link to this
All this about slot machines detracts from a valuable Ohio asset that is under terriffic budget pressure that is Ohio Libarays. If the slots save a few books have at them. jnewmanBy Paula
June 28, 2009 12:46 AM | Link to this
Why would adding slots at low rent race tracks save 16,000 jobs and create 1,000 new ones? I don’t get this math? I am for casino’s and understand how that would create jobs but slots at race tracks? What am I missing John?By John
June 27, 2009 11:41 PM | Link to this
Sen. Harris you have no other way of raising the capital you need to balance the budget. You would be saving 16,000 job’s and creating 1,000’s of new job’s . I guess you as a republican and I was do not care about our job’s. This is a tax you do not pay unless you choose to. STEP UP senator Harris